Drying apparatus



2 Sheets-Sheet l :muni- DRYING APPARATUS Filed June 15, 1939 N. H. POOR, 2D, ET AL Feb. l0, 1942.

Feb. 10, 1942. N. H. POOR, 2D` ET AL 2,272,383

DRYING APPARATUS Filed June 15, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheel'I 24 NCM/720,715 Poorn 5nd.

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Patented Feb. l0, 1942 l DBYING APPARATUS Nathan H. Poor, 2nd, and Sidney G. Judge,

Peabody Mass., assignorsto Nathan H. Poor Company, Peabody, Mau., a corporation oi' Massachusetts Application 'June 15, 1939,'serla1 No. 279,252

2 Claims.

This invention relates broadly to a drying apparatus, and particularly to an apparatus for drying skins after the latter has received an ap- ',plication of a liquid coloring material.

It has been the custom in the past when-seasoning, doping or coloring skins to apply the pisment or lacquer to said skins by any one of several methods. In certain instances the skin is placed upon a table having a glass or composition top, and the dope, pigment or lacquer is applied with a swab to the surface of the skin with one hand while holding said skin in place with the other hand. 'I'he skin is then removed from the table and suspended in a drying loft or'in a mechanical drier. In other instances the skin is placed upon a screen in a booth and the iinish is applied thereto with a spray gun, after which the skin is removed to a drier as previous- 1y described. In still other instances the skin is placed upon a conveyor belt and the finish vis applied thereto by hand with a swab after which said skin is removed to a drier as previously described. In each instancethe process is repeated as may be necessary, and in each instance much handling is required before the skin is finally finished.

-'Ihe primary object of this invention is to provide an improved apparatus whereby a succession of alternate coloring and drying operations may be performed upon a skin while the latter remains permanentlyv supported upon a conveying means.

Another .object of the invention is to provide a means whereby a continuous stream of heated air may be directed against a skin in a manner to rmly hold the latter in position upon its supporting and conveying means while being subjectd to the drying operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an effective means of distributing the heated air over the surface of the skin and confining said said skin.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a means whereby the drying instrumentalities may be moved transversely of the conveying means for the skins.

The invention consists of an apparatus for drying skins as set forth in the following specificationand particularly as pointed o ut in the claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a drying apparatus embodying our invention, end portions of the conveying instrumentalities for the skins being broken away to save space in the drawings.

p air to an area adjacent to the moist surface of Y Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail side elevation of 55 the supporting structure for the air heating and distributing means. i

Fig. 3 is an end view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is an underneath plan view of an end portion of the discharge orifice for the drying air.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged central longitudinal section through a portion of the drying apparatus.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged transverse section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

In the drawings, I0 represents a conveyor frame having pulleys Il and I2 mounted at opposite ends thereof upon which an endless conveyor belt I3 is mounted to travel through a horizontal plane in the direction indicated by the arrows appearing on Fig. l. The pulley Il is driven by an electric motor Il through a suitable driving connection I5. The upper portion of the belt I3 is supported at regular intervals between the pulleys I I and I2 by a plurality of more than one drying operation is to be persecured together in any suitable manner to form a continuous air chamber 23. Each unit 22 tapers toward the top thereof and is provided at vsaid top with an inlet orice 2l for air. An annular steam radiator 25 of .well known construction is mounted at the top of each casing unit 22 around the inlet orifice 24; and a fan 26 driven by an electric motor 21 is also provided at the top of each casing unit 22, said fan being positioned in the inlet orice 24. A lowerportion of the casing 20 is formed with side walls 28 which converge downwardly to provide a narrow -elongated discharge orifice 29 for the air which is forced through the casing units by the fans 26.- The side walls 28 extend for the entire length of all of the casing units 22, and the lower edges of said side walls terminate adjacent to the working face of the belt I3. The discharge orifice 2l is continuous for the entire length of al1 of the casing units 32, and the 'air passing therethrough is discharged directly against the upper surface of skins 3l which rest upon said belt. 'I'he sides of the discharge oririce 30 yconverge at 3l toward the end of said orifice toward which the skins 30 are fed by the belt I3, see Fig. 4: and said skins are thereby subjected gradually to the iniluence of the stream of air passing downwardly through the discharge orifice to the end that the edges of the skins will not be lifted by air which has been deflected laterally because of contact with the belt. The lower edges of the side walls 2l are spaced apart at the discharge orifice 29 by a plurality of spacing members 32. After the heated air has been discharged from the casing 20 through the discharge orice 29, said air is confined to an area adjacent to the working face of the belt I3 and the skins 3l thereon by means of plates 33 which extend for the entire length of the casing 2li, inner edges of said plates being secured to the lower edge portions of the walls 23 of said casing, and the outer edges being supported by means of a plurality of rods 3l from an intermediate portion of the casing.

The casing 2li is suspended from the I-beams 2| by means of a plurality of supporting bars 35, lower ends of which are attached to said casing, and upper ends of which have yokes 36 secured thereto carrying rollers 31 which are arranged to roll upon lower flanges of said I-beams. Braces 38 are provided for the bars 35. The height of the casing 20 above the conveyor belt I3 may be varied as may be desired by manipulating the nuts 39 provided at the yokes 36.

'I'he general operation of the apparatus hereinbefore speciilcally described is as follows: Skins 30 are placed upon the conveyor belt I3 at the left hand end thereof as viewed in Fig. 1, and operatives standing at the sides of said belt apply a liquid coloring material to the upper surface of said skins by means of a suitable swab while the skins are moving slowly with the belt toward the casing 20. As the skins pass successively beneath the end of the casing 20- they are subjected gradually to the inuence of a stream of heated air which is discharged downwardly thereagainst through the V shaped portion of the discharge orifice 29 without there being any tendency for said stream 'of air to cause the edge portions of said skins to lift. The continued movement of the belt I3 will feed the skins into position to receive the full force of the stream of heated t air passing through the narrow elongated discharge orice 29, and the downward pressure of the jet of air contacting with the central portion of each skin will tend to hold said skin iirmly upon the belt during the drying operation until they pass beyond the casing 20 whereupon they cio may be subjected to another coloring operation After being discharged from the orifice 3l the air is deflected laterally toward the sides of the conveyor belt and skins thereon. and said air is confined to an area adjacent to the upper surface of said skins as it passes thereabove by means of the plates 33.

It is evident that the conveyor apparatus may .be of any length desired, and that there may be any number of casings 2l provided as may be desired each provided with a suitable number of casing units 23 connected one to another and each provided with its separate heating and ai:` distributing means. It is furthermore evidentI that various types of heating devices may be utilized for heating the air as it passes through the drying units without departing from the spirit of this invention, and that under certain conditions the drying operation may be completed without it being necessary to heat the air utilized The casing 20 may be adjusted vertically abov the conveyor apparatus as may be found desIrable, and said casing may also be moved lateral of the conveyor by pushing thereon and causing the rollers 31 to roll upon the I-beams 2|.

We claim:

1. An apparatus of the character describfd comprising, in combination. an endless impe-fforate conveyor belt to feed sheet material while having a liquid material applied thereto, a cnam ber for air provided with a narrow elongated dis charge oriilce for said air positioned above said conveyor belt and above and adjacent to the sheet material thereon, said discharge oriilce ex tending longitudinally of said conveyor belt and tapering at and toward an end thereof, means to force air from said chamber through said ori iice against the moistened surface of said shes material, and means to raise and lower the air chamber.

2. An apparatus of the character described comprising, in combination, an endless imper forate conveyor belt for supporting and feedin. skins and similar articles of sheet material while having a liquid material applied thereto, a charm ber for air positioned above said belt and ham" a narrow elongated discharge orifice for said a: extending longitudinally of said belt and pos tioned above and adjacent to the sheet material thereon, said orice tapering at and toward end thereof, means to heat said air. means to force said heated air from said chamber through said oriiice against the moistened surface of sar; sheet material, means to confine said dischargeA air to an area adjacent to the sheet material s' said air passes thereover, means to raise an lower the air chamber, a track and meam to move said air chamber upon said track laterally of the conveyor belt.

NATHAN H. POOR, 2ND SIDNEY G. JUDGE. 

